Our Native Irises: Pacific Coast Irises
Iris innominata: Del Norte County Iris
Del Norte County Iris is endemic to extreme southwestern Oregon and adjacent Del Norte County in extreme northwestern California.
Range map of Iris innominata in California. Courtesy of the USDA PLANTS Database.
Range map of Iris innominata in Oregon. Courtesy of the USDA PLANTS Database.
Iris innominata flowers display a myriad of colors, golden yellow, light cream, apricot, orange, light pink, and purple. The sepals are moderately upright and then arching downward with prominent colored veins. The petals are upright and slightly spreading, shorter and narrower than the sepals, similar in coloration. The inflorescence generally has only one flower rarely two. The flowering stalk is shorter than the attending leaves. The leaves are dark green and glossy, upright, slightly reflexed, and with purple-red spots near the base, from branching rhizomes with fibrous roots. The overall plant appears as short, compact tufts.
A white form of Iris innominata with very prominent purple veins and a faint yellow signal serving as a guide for pollinators. Courtesy Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris.
A beautiful shade of golden yellow with prominent reddish veins make this a truly beautiful specimen of Iris innominata. Courtesy Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris.
Iris innominata is found growing in woodlands or conifer forests in open areas that are slightly shaded and in sunny meadows.
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A small patch of Del Norte County Iris in a sunny opening in a woodland setting. Courtesy Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris.